Third-party Nintendo Switch dock reportedly damages consoles

A popular third-party Nintendo Switch dock is reportedly damaging consoles, but the manufacturer insists they’re isolated cases and not a widespread problem.

Nintendo’s official dock for charging its Switch console and connecting it to a TV costs a heavy £80, so cheaper third-party versions can be appealing if they are any good.

Nyko’s Portable Docking Kit (pictured above) for the Nintendo Switch appears to be just that; a decent docking accessory that’s more portable than Nintendo’s official dock, but costs $50/£38.

But while initial reviews and thoughts on the third-party dock seem positive there are reports that the dock can kill the Switch’s USB Type-C charging port, potentially rendering the console useless after its battery has been depleted.

“I just got this dock a few days ago. After connecting everything together, I found that the dock did not work. The bigger issue is the Switch would no longer charge after that,” warned Reddit user vegeterian_metroid.

A few other people who have taken the plunge with the Nyko dock have also reported charging problems, though other users seem perfectly content with it, which raised the question as to whether there are a few faulty docks in circulation or it the charging problem affects more docks.

To address the concerns Nyko took part in a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) and stated is rigorously tests its products and that the charging problems in not widespread.

“We are only aware of one instance that came through our customer support team. We are investigating it now and taking care of that customer,” the company said, adding that if its dock does damage any Switch consoles it will replace them for their owners.

If you’re on the cusp of ordering a Nyko dock, it could be worth holding fire until it’s clear that this isn’t a widespread problem.

Have you got a Nyko dock? If so let us know about any problems you encounter by tweeting @TrustedReviews or contacting us on Facebook.